Ergonomic assessment and analysis of postural load of surgeons performing laparoscopic surgeries in Cuenca, Ecuador

Despite current progress made in the design and development of surgical instruments, nowadays surgeons report ergonomics risks related to open, laparoscopic, and robotic procedures. A recent study carried out by Stanford University Medical Center (SUMC) claims that nearly 61% of surgeons have reported ergonomic symptoms, and of this population, 55.4% attributed the symptoms to laparoscopic surgery, 36.3% to open surgery, and 8.3% to robotic surgery. The most of studies performed in ergonomics and surgical procedures analyze the following elements: (a) disposition of different elements used during laparoscopic procedures, (b) musculoskeletal symptoms, or (c) ergonomic assessment of postural load. However, it is important to mention that in South America, and specifically in Ecuador, few studies exist that solely analyze in a general way the ergonomic risk due to postural load. On those grounds, in this paper we present a study that is aimed on determining the risks experienced by surgeons in laparoscopic surgeries due to problems related with ergonomic factors, in Cuenca, Ecuador. To analyze the risks factors, we have used an approach that combines the anthropometric characteristics of surgeons and the evaluation of the operating room design.